Digital Camera News, Reviews and Tips
DP Review has posted a review of the Canon 5D Mark II.
We have always placed a heavy emphasis on image quality, and all other things aside this means the 5D Mark II has to receive our highest rating.
For the latest news and reviews on the 5D Mark II, be sure to stay tuned to Photography Bay’s Canon 5D Mark II Reviews and Resources.
Trusted Reviews has published a review of the Ricoh R10.
The overall level of detail is excellent, and the lens and/or image processing produces almost no distortion even at the 28mm end of the zoom range, with good corner sharpness.
Stroboframe has recently released the U-Pro rotating flash bracket. The key feature of the of the new U-Pro is the ability to rotate the camera itself while maintaining the position of the flash well above the lens. For a great example and testimonial of the effectiveness of this kind of rotating bracket, see Rich Legg’s recent post regarding his use of a similar bracket with a monopod. While Rich focuses on his new resolution to use a monopod more often, his rotating bracket is an integral part of his shooting.
For more info on the Stroboframe U-Pro, see the press release below. [Read more…]
The Dell Wasabi PZ310 is a mobile printer that is almost pocket-sized. It prints borderless 2×3 inch prints in under a minute. It is Bluetooth and PictBridge compatible. Canon 5D Mark II users may finally have a use for the print button (yes, it’s a joke).
While the Wasabi PZ310 is a novel idea, don’t count on it to be anything more than a “fun” toy. And frankly, if you own a DSLR, it’s probably not going to be all that fun. It’s clearly geared toward the MySpace-crazed teen crowd; not that there’s anything wrong with that. It’s just a little too gimicky for those of use who take photography seriously. It comes at an introductory price of $99.
For more info, see Dell’s press release below. [Read more…]
Canon has a new short-term (through 3/1/09) rebate program that takes $200 off the purchase of certain Canon DSLRs + a lens + a 580EX II flash.
Eligible DSLRs are:
EOS 1Ds Mark III
EOS 1D Mark III
EOS 5D Mark II
EOS 50D
EOS 40D
Eligible DSLR kits are:
EOS 5D Mark II EF 24-105mm IS Kit
EOS 50D EF 28-135mm IS Kit
EOS 50D EF 18-200m IS PS Kit
EOS 40D EF 28-135mm IS Kit
Note: If you buy a DSLR kit along with the flash, you still have to buy one of the eligible lenses to meet the rebate requirement.
Eligible lenses are:
EF 24-70mm F/2.8L USM
EF 24-105mm F/4L IS USM
EF 85mm F/1.2L II USM
EF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM
Plus the Speedlite 580EX II flash.
Thanks to Adorama for the news.
It seems like lately we’ve been reporting more about what isn’t coming to PMA rather than what will be there. Sony has apparently confirmed to PDN that there will be no new Alpha DSLRs introduced at PMA 2009. Sony plans to focus on point and shoot camera along with accessories instead. Some of those accessories should be for DSLRs though.
Photography Bay is giving away a new Canon PIXMA iP2600 photo printer to one lucky reader. The iP2600 is an entry-level photo printer that prints photos with borderless edges, from credit-card size, up to 8.5″ x 11″, and with resolution up to 4800 x 1200 color dpi.
If you’re not a member of the forum, you can register here.
The product review can be positive or negative. It can be anything related to photography – such as cameras, lenses, tripods, software, or prints from a particular vendor. Spammy posts will not be considered – quality counts. Among the quality reviews that are posted, a winner will be randomly selected.
Deadline for Entries
February 20, 2009
This contest is limited to the Continental US. Shipping is covered by Photography Bay. Winner will be contacted by the email he or she used to register for the Photography Bay forum. If selected winner does not respond within 72 hours, an alternate winner will be selected.
A patent application filed by Canon was recently published by the USPTO (App. No. 12/188,385) that may give us some insight as to how Canon will solve the abysmal autofocus performance of Canon’s Live View mode. If you are unfamiliar about how Canon’s Live View AF system currently works (or doesn’t work), you can read my prior rant in Photography Bay’s Canon Rebel XSi Review. For some insight on how Live View AF should work, see the Sony A350 Review.
Nothing works faster for DSLR autofocus systems than the tried and true phase-difference method. If you don’t know what phase-difference AF means, the you can read about it on Wikipedia; however, it’s not essential to understand all the technical details to get excited about Canon’s new patent.
The fundamental problem with making phase-difference autofocus work in a Live View mode is that the AF sensor receives light from the mirror, which also reflects light up into the pentaprism for the optical viewfinder. When you press the shutter button, the mirror flips up and you get a brief moment of black out in the view finder while the shutter opens and exposes the image sensor to the light from the lens. [Read more…]
Contrary to prior rumors of a Canon 1Ds Mark IV and 1D Mark IV coming out soon, I received a tip from a reliable source today that there will be no Canon 1-series DSLRs released at PMA 2009. This person explained where the information originated and I believe it to be accurate.
Unfortunately, that is all the info that I can reveal while keeping the source anonymous, which I agreed to do. I can say, however, that I still expect a Canon Rebel XSi replacement to be revealed very soon.
Kingston has stepped up the capacity for their Elite Pro series to 32GB. I’ve been using a 16GB Kingston Elite Pro CF card for a a couple of months in my Canon 5D Mark II and have to say that it works quite well. It slows down after about 9 continuous frames (the best I’ve seen so far has come from Lexar’s 300x 4GB CF Card at 15 continuous frames before it slows down). With the Kingston 16GB Elite Pro, it’s also nice to have plenty of room for the 25MB to 30MB RAW files that the 5D Mark II produces.
The Kingston 32GB Elite Pro CF card retails for $154. Check availability on Amazon.com.
More info in the following press release. [Read more…]